ℒ𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒪𝓃 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ ℱ𝓁ℴℴ𝓇 [𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏]

𝟐.𝟎𝟗- 𝐓𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐬

𝖱𝖾𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗅𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈：𝖢𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗎𝗆𝖾 𝖣𝗋𝖺𝗆𝖺

˚✧.⋅₊˚ ‧ 🩰⋅୨୧ ⋅🦢 ‧₊˚ ⋅.✧˚

["Dance To Express, Not Impress"]

Sunday afternoon was bright and cheerful as all the girls arrived at Kendall's house for her birthday party. The air was filled with excitement, and the girls were all dressed in their favorite party outfits, ready to celebrate one of their own. Maddie, Chloe, Nia, Paige, and Emily had all been looking forward to the party, but they also had a burning question on their minds: Was Kendall coming back to the ALDC?

As they gathered around Kendall, who was smiling and clearly enjoying her day, Paige was the first to ask the question everyone was thinking. "So...are you coming back to the ALDC?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

Kendall smiled, a little nervous, but ready to share the truth with her friends, "Yeah, I'm coming back," she said, and the girls let out a collective sigh of relief. "The only reason we left was because the producers made me and my mom go to Candy Apples for the drama."

The girls exchanged glances, not entirely surprised by the producer-driven drama, but still curious about the details.

"So Jill storming out of pyramid wasn't fake?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, that part wasn't fake," Kendall replied, shaking her head. "My mom was really upset, but because of the contract, we had to go along with it. I'll be filming with Cathy this week, but I'm not staying with them. After that, I'll be dancing off the show at the ALDC until the producers let us 'come back' officially."

The girls all nodded, finally understanding the situation. They were happy that Kendall wasn't truly leaving them, but it was frustrating to see how much the producers controlled things for the sake of the show.

"I'm just glad you're not leaving for good," Nia said, reaching over to give Kendall a hug.

"Yeah, we were worried," Maddie added, smiling at Kendall.

Kendall sighed, looking a little exasperated but relieved to have cleared the air, "Cathy knows I'm not staying on her team, and honestly, she thinks the whole thing is a waste of time, too. It's all just for the drama."

"Of course she does," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "It's all about the drama with her."

The girls laughed, and the tension from earlier in the week seemed to melt away. They were just happy to have Kendall back, even if things weren't completely back to normal yet.

After the conversation, Kendall's mom brought out a tray of colorful cupcakes, and the girls each grabbed one, laughing and joking as they ate. The rest of the party was filled with fun and games, and for the afternoon, they were able to forget about all the stress of the competition world and just be friends enjoying a birthday celebration.

As they sat together, frosting smudged on their faces and giggling about something silly, the bond between them felt stronger than ever.

☆💛🩰💛☆

When Emily got home that evening, she felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, but as soon as she opened the door, she was met with a bright, festive sight that made her pause. The entire house was decked out for Christmas.

Garlands hung along the staircase, twinkling lights glimmered from every corner, and a beautifully decorated tree stood proudly in the living room. Ezekiel and the twins were sitting nearby, laughing as they finished putting ornaments on the lower branches. Even Molly, who usually kept her distance from anything that involved the rest of the family, was sitting by the fireplace, talking and smiling with them.